Various animal feeders are known wherein feed is placed in a hopper and transferred to a feed trough below the hopper by an animal actuating a bar or other mechanism which is actuatable by the nose or the head of the animal. As the animal strikes or displaces the bar or other similar mechanism, in a certain direction, feed is released into the feed trough. Examples of such feeders are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,246,678 and 5,275,130.
A disadvantage of prior art animal feeders of the above-reference type is that they comprise complex mechanisms which often encounter mechanical break down or get jammed by the feed, rendering the feeder, or sections thereof, inoperative. Their mechanisms are also difficult to repair and most of these repairs must be done on site. Also, many of these mechanisms are provided with adjustable slot openings through which feed is released. Depending on the size of the feed grains it is necessary to adjust these slots. Accordingly, if the type of feed is changed, the feeder needs to be re-adjusted. This procedure disturbs the animals feeding at regular time intervals. Prior art feeders are also difficult to clean and not perfectly sanitary.
Another disadvantage of the prior art feeders is that the feed release mechanism which is actuated by the animals also requires adjustment depending on the size of the animals feeding. For example, a forty pound pig will hit the feed release bars with more power than will do a small pig of half that size. Also, smaller pigs cannot make long actuating head strokes. Still further, farm feed is now being provided in very fine dry particle size and is very slick and can easily flow out of the hopper trough small openings and accordingly can trickle continuously in the feed trough through the discharge slot, if not perfectly closed. The discharge mechanisms also often jam by the accumulation of feed or larger feed particles.